Cops chase car, find driver in someone's bed

The driver of a stolen car led police on a pursuit from San Diego to Lemon Grove and back yesterday before he ditched the car, dashed into an apartment and hid in a tenant's bed, authorities said.

Officers said they found the 22-year-old man under the covers and arrested him.

It started at 5:35 p.m. when a San Diego officer in the Mountain View neighborhood spotted a stolen Toyota Camry parked on 45th Street. While he watched, a young man and woman got in the car and drove off, police said.

When the officer tried to pull the driver over, he sped away. At one point, he let the woman out of the car. He raced east on state Route 94 to Lemon Grove, took the Broadway off-ramp and nearly hit a car head-on. While he was stopped, an officer boxed him in with a patrol car and tried to kick in the Camry's window.

But the driver of the other car backed up, giving the suspect a chance to steer clear and head west on 94. He returned to surface streets, speeding through red lights to El Cajon Boulevard. Near 59th Street in the College Area, he turned into an alley and jumped from the car, letting it roll into a wooden fence.

He then sprinted away and scaled balcony railings at an apartment complex. Videotape from a police helicopter showed him vanishing down a walkway.

A woman in a nearby unit let officers inside, and the fugitive was found. Police said it appeared she had let him in to hide.